Polygraphic Monitoring of Apneic Spells

Five infants with clinically severe apneic spells and eight premature infants with no clinical evidence of apnea were monitored with simultaneous electroencephalograms, electrocardiograms, and impedance pneumography for variable periods up to 26 consecutive hours. It was found that intermediate length apneic pauses were more common in quiet than in active sleep, and that striking, although brief, bradycardia was very common in conjunction with short apneic periods. Frequency of short spells did not relate to age or EEG maturation. Prolonged apneic spells differed in mechanism of production from patient to patient. Polygraphic monitoring delineated these differences and allowed a rational basis for treatment of some types.